Mary

Mary (8 September 18 BC-) was the mother of Jesus.

Biography
Mary was born in the Galilee region of Judea, and she was betrothed to marry Saint Joseph during her teens. One day, the angel Gabriel appeared Mary and announced her divine selection to be the mother of Jesus, the son of God. She conceived Jesus from anthe angel sent by God, having been a virgin. She then accompanied Joseph to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, and the family was forced to flee to Egypt after Joseph was warned in a dream that King Herod the Great planned to murder Jesus. They returned to Israel following Herod's death in 4 BC, and they then settled in Nazareth. When Jesus was twelve, Jesus was separated from his parents as they returned from the Passover celebration in Jerusalem, and he was found in the Temple among the religious teachers. Jesus would go off on his own and become a preacher, and Mary became an early Christian. She was present at Jesus' crucifixion, where she took him down from the cross and cradled him in her arms, crying. Mary was later assumed into heaven, being taken bodily into the afterlife.